Death Cruise (1974)

Although the plot is fairly well worn, this is an entertaining whodunnit set aboard a cruise ship with some good twists.

Three couple begin their cruise of the Caribbean, all of them winning their holiday in a competition, though they can't remember entering it. Unfortunately, it isn't long before the first dies, Jerry (Richard Long) apparently falling overboard. It could be an accident though ship's doctor Dr Burke (Michael Constantine) isn't so sure. When the next deaths occur, including the shooting of Jerry's wife Sylvia (Polly Bergen), then Burke is convinced the deaths are all part of a dastardly plan, but who and why?

There have been quite a few films showing a group of being being bumped off one by one by a mystery killer, in great TV movie fashion pretty much everyone in this film has some kind of dark past and secret (except Burke). It is an enjoyable murder mystery film all the same, very competently done, and the final twists are excellent.

Murder in Times Square (1943)

An uneven murder mystery involving snake venom and some unlikely disguises.

Actor Cory Williams (Edmund Lowe) is in trouble when a man he punches dies, however it it likely found the man died of snake venom, Cory is not fully off the hook though as his current play is about people killed by snake bites! 

Detective Tabot (William Wright) is convinced that Cory is guilty and is a psychopath. Cory struggles to prove his innocence in a complicated plot involving love rivals and curses by the acid tongued Longacre Lil (Esther Dale)...

A reasonable crime drama though dragged down by a little too much nonsense, including Cory attempting various disguises and mimicking people to various degrees of failure. The story is also a little hard to follow at times, but overall this is an inoffensive little watch.

Harlem on the Prairie (1937)

A decent Western with some good music, but this isn't your usual B-movie tale of the Wild West. This is an example of a Black movie made by a black cast and crew for showing in black theatres (as black people were not allowed into "white" theatres in many areas at the time in America).

Crawfish (FE Miller) and Mistletoe (Mantan Moreland) are drifters looking for gold. They link up with tall handsome cowboy Jeff (Herb Jeffries) who is helping Carolina (Consuelo Harris), who is in trouble with the evil Wolf Cain (Maceo Bruce Sheffield), amid many songs.

This isn't a great film but it is an interesting one. Although it is very much like the usual B-movie Western of the period, the black cast does ironically make it a more realistic depiction of the actual American West! 

The Head (1959)

A very strange science horror film, obviously involving heads!

Professor Abel (Michel Simon) has developed a serum that can keep the severed head of a dog alive. He recruits a new assistant Dr Ood (Horst Frank). 

Abel dies of a heart attack but Ood takes the opportunity to remove the professor's head and keep it alive with the serum. Ood forces the professor to assist him with a bizarre experiment to give a hunch backed nurse a new body from a stripper...

A very strange film with a ton of atmosphere, though at times a little too odd however the film is certainly compelling enough to keep you interested. The soundtrack is particularly good and eerie. 

The Gay Falcon (1941)

The first in the Falcon series, about a reformed jewel thief who uses his skills to fight crime and support young ladies in trouble.

A society lady Maxine (Gladys Cooper) has trouble with her charity parties where jewels are stolen in an insurance scam. When a socialite is murdered at a party, after she passes a valuable ring to Gay Lawrence (George Sanders) aka The Falcon. The Falcon and his assistant Goldie (Allen Jenkins) investigate the killing with the help of Helen (Wendy Barrie) who is hot on the Falcon, much to the annoyance of his actual fiancée Elinor (Nina Vale) who has one of the most bizarre accents ever heard in the cinema.

A fast moving crime B-movie, Sanders plays the Falcon with a smooth assurance like he'd played the role half-dozen times before, though this is the first in the series. (Probably because Sanders had played a very similar role in The Saint series!) The film has plenty of fast moving action and storyline and sharp dialogue which helps makes it very entertaining. 

Thunderbirds Are Go (1966)

A successful TV series hits the big screen, so often this can be a miss, but in the case of Thunderbirds they just about pull it off.

The mighty Zero-X rocket is about to head off the first manned mission to Mars but an agent from (well that is never established) causes the spaceship to crash. Two years later the replacement ship is ready to go to Mars, International Rescue is called out to make sure the agent can't cause another failure. The Thunderbirds and Lady Penelope manage to save the day.

But on Mars the Zero-X crew run into trouble from strange aliens. Finally, on their return to Earth the Zero-X malfunctions which means International Rescue are called out again to save the day. Alan Tracy ends up the hero after feeling a bit of a spare part earlier in the film, and having a rather weird dream sequence involving Cliff Richard...

The bigger budget has made the already superb looking Thunderbirds action and sets even more spectacular, however the story is a bit lacking and we could have done with a bit more of actual rescuing. We never even get to see Thunderbird 4! But it does the job, FAB!

The Mysterious Mr. Valentine (1946)

A complicated crime drama involving blackmail and murder.

Janet (Linda Stirling) is driving at night when one of the tyres on her car blows out. She asks chemist John Armstrong (Tristram Coffin) for some help, but this begins a nightmare for Janet involving John's jealous wife Rita (Barbara Wooddell), a hit and run Janet becomes involved in, a disappearing body and blackmail. 

Private detective Steve Morgan (William Henry) helps Janet out, though often he needs some help himself from the police (Thomas E Jackson)...

The story is a little hard to follow at times but this is a fine drama, underpinned by a developing relationship between Janet and Steve which is very cute. Fast moving and squeezes a lot of plot into a short running time.